The New Class Warfare by Michael Lind

With most things in life, I like to dig a little deeper. It can be very annoying trait. Just ask my wife. Too many whys. For example, when members of al-Qaeda flew planes into the Trade Towers in New York, I wondered why. Same with the Trump supporters. Why? I understand how he represents the interests of the rich and superrich but how did the regular working-class guy and gal believe he could improve their lot? Why would some have felt so desperate about their lot in life to attack the Washington Capital or believe the crazy pronouncements of QAnon?





Michael Lind, a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas attempts to explain the actions of this disgruntled group in his book, “The New Class War, Saving Democracy from the Managerial Class.” In it, he says that a managerial class emerged with the breakup of the Soviet Union. Without the countervailing force of a communist superpower, the left came to represent social causes such as minority rights rather than the economic interests of the working class. Left with a vacuum of political support, the working class have lost their unions and many of their good paying jobs, only to be left with nothing or the minimum wage employment of the service sector. As a result, economic inequality in the U.S. is at its highest in 50 years according to the September 2019 census.



Professor Lind argues that both Democrats and Republicans have represented the interests of the managerial class defined as the university credentialed national elites occupying bureaucratic corporations, bureaucratic government, and bureaucratic non-profits. He describes these elites as the anywhere[NR1] who identify with a lifestyle that can enjoyed almost anywhere in the world. Their worldview is very different from the wage earning somewheres [NR2] who belong to a place, use extended family for childcare, and are likely to look at their children as a joy rather than a burden.



Life is very different for the somewheres. Because their work may not involve a high level of skill or education, the threat of competing for wages from other labour in other countries or from immigrants is very real. Should they demand higher wages or their right to unionize, the threat always exists that their employer can move or bring in immigrant labour often with visas tied to that employment.



And so, Professor Lind, argues, the somewheres are going to see immigration as a grave threat to their livelihood. When Donald Trump arrives on the scene and promises to curb immigration, the working class is going to support him. It doesn’t matter that he sought to end the Affordable Care Act upon which many depended for their healthcare or decreased taxes for the rich.



Mexican Americans are also against an open border policy for the same reason Americans of European descent have objected to immigration. They see immigrants as a threat to their jobs and wages. That might explain why Trump won Zapata County, a primarily Mexican American district where he won over Biden in 2020 after losing to Hillary Clinton by 33 points in 2016.



What Professor Lind does argue is that immigration should be curtailed and those immigrants that gain residency should be made citizens as quickly as possible. Employers would thereby lose the threat of cheap immigrant labour against workers attempting to improve wages, benefits and working conditions.



And, there you have it, another theory, how a wealthy real estate developer known for not paying contractors and thereby the workers they employ could attract the support of the working class. It’s a class warfare that isn’t going to end with Trump’s departure.